Spiral into Darkness
by bebekachu
Summary: Tom hated everyone. And everyone hated Tom. The same held true for one peculiar Ravenclaw who seems to stare into his soul. Would she be able to pull Tom away from his fate? Or will they both succumb to the sweet lure of Darkness? Includes: timetravel, dark magic, Grey!Luna
1. Prologue - Endings and Beginnings

**Spiral into Darkness**

Prologue - Endings and beginnings

**SUMMARY**: Tom hated everyone. And everyone hated Tom. The same held true for one peculiar Ravenclaw who seems to stare into his soul. Would she be able to pull Tom away from his fate? Or will they both succumb to the sweet lure of Darkness? Includes: timetravel, dark magic, Grey!Luna

**DISCLAIMER**: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. I own nothing you recognise.

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1936, Wool's Orphanage

It was a few hours after midnight. A lone figure crept down the dark empty corridors in search for a midnight snack from the grimy orphanage kitchen, which had easily seen better days.

Quick fleeting feet carried Tom to the locked door and with a quick hand gesture, the lock clicked and the door swung open. Wrinkling his nose in disgust of the familiar stench of gruel that had long been embedded onto the kitchen walls, he took careful steps into the cold tiled floor and he wandlessly Summoned a bowl of biscuits from a shelf. With the bowl tucked protectively under his arm, Tom was on his way back to his room when a sharp knock reverberated down the hall. The peculiar sound startled the thieving boy into flinching almost violently.

Curiosity overwhelmed reasoning, as he slid to the temporary refuge of underneath a wooden table where orphans often ate their meals. A multitude of questions washed through his head as he fixed his gaze in the direction where the sound had resonated from.

The echo traversed down the long windy hall, which lead to the double door entrance. The splintered wood almost fell apart at another series of knocks. Tom held his breath as the obvious struck him – someone requested entry to the orphanage.

Mrs Cole was a very light sleeper. Tom had discovered that titbit the hard way on a past journey to the kitchen. So it was with great confusion that nobody had answered the door after a few minutes. The unnaturally empty hall would have amplified any sound.

In his wait, Tom slid his hand into his bowl and devoured a crispy sugar-coated biscuit. Despite himself, he allowed himself to indulge in the sweet taste of the delicacy as it slid down his throat. A nice refreshment from the sour gruel he was forced to eat every day.

After four biscuits later and what seemed like eternity, the telltale footsteps of the orphanage matron thundered in approach. Leving enough room to observe the door and the old lady's reaction, Tom shrunk back further underneath the table to avoid capture.

The loud knocks had resumed as Mrs Cole walked up to the front door and flung it open. The little-used door groaned in protest as it swung open to reveal a small child, who must have been no more than ten years old. Thunder echoed outside as the pouring rain that accompanied it begun rushing into the building.

Tom risked a few moments of capture as his poked his head out to snatch a better look at the stranger. A girl with dirty blond hair and stormy grey eyes draped in a long cloak which was a few sizes too big for her greeted his brown irises. Her face was dirty and ashen and when Tom strained his eyes, he could make out tear streaks making pathways through the grime. Automatically, he would have sneered at the sign of weakness when he caught another startling aspect of the girl. She seemed to be coated in a layer of blood.

Mrs Cole was understandably shocked at the sight but was spared any words as the girl's hollow yet clear voice such rang out eerily through the orphanage. Her voice was one which seemed too old and experienced for her age and it chilled Tom to the bone. And her eyes were not focused on Mrs Cole – they were latched directly onto Tom's.

"My parents are dead. They died in war."

As if on cue, a brilliant flash of lighting filled the scene as Tom caught a flicker of change in the girl's irises. _They were blood red._He blinked and rubbed his eyes with alarm and inwardly sighed in relief as he saw the ordinary grey resumed its place in her eyes. Perhaps it was only a trick of light.

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**62 years later, Hogwarts grounds**

Luna Lovegood's feminine scream joined many others as the infamous jet of green light spiralled towards the boy who exhibited eyes of the same colour. Hit squarely in the chest, the force from the Killing Curse caused him to collapse backward onto the battleground. At the same time a sinister hissing laugh filled the air, overriding the cacophony of screams, shrieks and yells that were already present. The tense atmosphere of the battle tightened as everyone latched their attention onto the lifeless body of Harry Potter.

"See that? Your so-called saviour is no more!" Lord Voldemort declared proudly, levitating the dead body several feet into the air for all to see, as if nobody was aware of it.

The dark lord's announcement reverberated through the school grounds, the echo almost mockingly repeating the same words over and over again. And when the words faded away, so did many hopes of the Light. They watched with fear and hopelessness as the limp corpse was paraded around the air. Both the Order of the Phoenix and Aurors alike began to fight with desperation against the gleeful Death Eaters who resumed the fight with renewed vigour.

Amongst the blood and heat of the battle, many witches and wizards tried to run to get to the body of their saviour. But Voldemort held his ground. The man seemed almost bored as he floated Harry's dangling body above their heads. A defensive field of magic surrounded him as he did so, assuring him protection from any angry avengers.

Ron Weasley cried out vain vows of vengeance as he battled his way towards what was left of his first friend. With livid tears streaking down his face, the red-headed boy ran in full speed toward the laughing Voldemort only to be thrown back violently by the magical field.

Luna was brought out of her shock as a jet of yellow light came whizzing past her head. She dodged the attack and flicked the Blood Boiling Curse back in retaliation. The anguished scream of a Death Eater joined the howls and yells in the air, confirming her that her attack was successful. She whirled around to attack another Death Eater, almost slipping on the blood stained ground.

Even though Harry Potter was dead, the battle continued until the early hours of midnight but even then, a blind man would have been able to see that the Light were fighting a losing battle - not that there even were a shortage of blind people. The atmosphere reeked of death and curses and hexes continued to spring back and forth. Voldemort had glided lazily above the battle and shot numerous killing curses around. Bodies of witches and wizards were strewn anywhere he went and occasionally a Crucioed scream would fill the air.

All the while, the lifeless body of Harry Potter hovered above in the sky, striking intense emotions into anyone present.

Exhausted to the point of collapse, the only thing holding Luna up was sheer willpower and determination to bring as many people down with her as possible. Her body wracked uncontrollably with the after effects of the Cruciatus Curse and blood was seeping freely out of a large gash in her neck. A group of Death Eaters were in front her and they simultaneously fired curse after curse at her.

She wielded two wands in both hands as she wild fired the Killing Curse around herself in random. Any Auror, Professor or Hogwarts student were either dead or out of her reach. It was pure luck that Luna was still alive and kicking. Or maybe enemies had under estimated her. Either way, it was clear that she would not make it out of battle alive.

A stray Killing Curse flew in her direction and she jumped out of the way into the path of another. One sent by none other than Voldemort himself. Apparently he had finally found the time to come and finish her off.

It was almost cliché that time seemed to slow down as the Avada Kedavra sail towards the defiant Ravenclaw. She knew it would be her last living moment as she aimed her wand into curse and fired the first thing that came to her mind.

"_REDUCTO_!"

To the utter shock of Luna and everyone around her, the Reductor Curse sped into the green light with deadly accuracy and as it collided, a shower of red sparks exploded, blinding all the occupants of the battle.

And then Luna knew no more.

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When she came to, the first thing she noticed was the light drizzle responsible for soaking her robes. Eyelids fluttered open as her eyes flickered about. She was in an abandoned unfamiliar park. In the distance, there were rusty swings and a slide which was falling apart. Darkness had fallen and the night sky was littered with twinkling stars. Luna was in a spread-eagled position on the grass and she had no intention of getting up. She gazed up at the sky and cracked a small smile, after the events of the battle, simply staring at stars was a pure joy. Speaking of the battle...

Luna blinked as she wondered where she was. The first thought that fleeted into her mind was, '_Am I dead?_' followed by, '_Is this what death feels like?_'

A soft hoot reached her ears as a reddish brown owl fluttered towards her nearby.

"A_beautiful night, is it not?_" It hooted.

Luna didn't say anything, though she wondered if it was normal for dead people to be greeted by owls.

"_You're not dead_."

That was a surprise. Luna blinked with disbelief at the comment.

"I was hit with the Killing Curse."

The sound of sweet laughter provided her only answer. The owl hopped beside Luna and gazed into her eyes.

"_Don't you recognise me_?" It said.

Before Luna could say anything, a rush of fire burst out from the owl and faded away to reveal a humoured phoenix.

"Fawkes." Her voice was neutral, lacking in emotion. Nothing surprised her anymore.

Said phoenix bobbed her head.

"_Three things.__" _It trilled, apparently excited for some reason. "_1_._ I healed you. 2. It's 1936. -"_

"Really?" Luna asked with such casualty that she may have been asking about the weather.

_"- Last but certainly not least: 3. The fate of the Wizarding world is now in your hands. Much like yourself, the Dark Lord you once knew is a ten year old. It is up to you to change Tom Riddle."_ With that last comment, Fawkes burst into flame. The light rain pour quickly put out the fire, leaving nothing but soggy ash.

A childish giggle escaped her lips as she spoke to black pile.

"Isn't it Harry's job to change fate of the Wizarding world?"

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**N/a:**

What do you think? How do you think little Tom will react to Luna? Leave your thoughts in a review!

Thanks for reading.


	2. Questions

**Questions **

**DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. I own nothing you recognise.**

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A frown was etched on Tom's face as he pondered over the appearance of the newcomer. Where did she come from? How did she get here? And more importantly, why was she covered in blood?

So caught up in his thoughts, he barely registered that little girl being ushered in by Mrs Cole. The matron lady's bulky fur coat was wrapped onto the shivering child in an attempt to warm her up. The last he saw of the pair was when Mrs Cole proceeded to bring the child to the bathrooms for a quick wash.

The bowl of biscuits lay forgotten on the stone floor as Tom pulled himself back. That creepy girl would have no room to stay in the orphanage. By this morning she would be booted out of the building. After all, all the rooms in the orphanage were currently occupied. Even if the occupants didn't deserve it. Some kids had completely trashed their room while others barely used them at all - unlike Tom who was a resourceful boy. There only furniture in his room was a worn bed, a rickety table and an ancient wardrobe. It would not seem like much at first, but Tom utilised his room to his best ability - finding cracks, broken floorboards, hidden holes etc. to store his many trophies.

Not only did he use it to shelter items, it was also a refuge for stray garden snakes from some nasty orphan or predatory bird. The orphanage garden was teeming with snakes. Tom was well known amongst them and they seemed to follow his every whim. Every command he gave them went unquestioned and obeyed. In fact, some had even taken the liberty of calling him 'Master'.

A crooked smile found itself onto Tom's face. He absolutely relished being called that word. It was meant he was in charge, he was powerful.

With unnatural stealth that he had long ago mastered, Tom swiftly made his way back to his room, the last of the biscuits were gone, the bowl abandoned underneath the table and all thoughts of the girl gone from his mind.

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Tiny bubbles floated lazily up to the moist air of the orphanage's private bathroom that was normally reserved only for the staff. Mrs Cole kneeled onto the cold stone floor and was vigorously trying to rid of the dry crusted blood which covered Luna.

Most of the blood was coated near the young girl's neck as if there had been a wound there but when the matron lady checked, all there was soft unblemished skin. Surprised but relieved, she didn't question it but instead resorted to small light hearted questions.

"What's your name?" She asked as gently as she could. The young girl looked awfully fragile and as if she had been through a battle of some sort. Her youthful eyes gleamed with what could almost be called wild paranoia and it contrasted greatly with her seemingly relaxed body. She held herself limply within the tub and had neglected to even bat an eye when Mrs Cole undressed her.

"Luna. Luna Lovegood." Came the quiet reply.

Blinking, Mrs Cole nodded, only pausing for a moment in her scrubbing. A maternal smile danced along her lips but in no way did it reflect her own perplexed emotions. Her mind was raged with unanswered questions and it took a lot of her willpower to hold her tongue, all in favour of not frightening the mysterious child away.

"Well, Luna dear, can you tell me where your home is?" She continued, her wrinkled hands wiping a stray bit of foam from the girl's eye.

"Gone." Such a cryptic answer.

"Do you have anywhere to stay?"

"No." Luna hesitated for a moment before asking in a quieter voice, so soft that Mrs Cole had to strain her ears to listen. "Would I be able to stay here?"

"I'm not too sure... This orphanage does not have any vacant rooms at the moment. Most of the rooms are shared between two people," Mrs Cole explained, her heart breaking at the girl's pained expression. Why would she really want to live here? Was the orphanage's rickety and dishevelled appearance not enough to convince the child of the appalling living conditions?

"You said 'most'."

"Well, everywhere is filled except for one upstairs. A young boy around your age is there alone... but he doesn't like sharing. The last time we moved someone in..." The lady trailed off, a strange expression flickering onto her face.

"What's the boy's name? The one who lives in the room?"

"Tom. He's very secretive and-"

"I want to live there."

That last comment, laced with so much determination, prompted the weary and sleep deprived Mrs Cole to nod her head in agreement. Only later would she question the intelligence of her actions.

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It was morning. Casting venomous glares at the youngsters who barricaded the footpath, Tom trudged down the wooden staircase to the main hall, for the daily meal of breakfast. As he regally sat down on one of the seats which other kids left alone for him, his eyes did the routine sweep of the tables before latching themselves onto a newcomer. It was the kid from last night. What's she doing here? He would've thought that the girl had been sent back to wherever she came from.

All traces of blood and fifth washed away from her and she was dressed in a simple white gown. It actually looked kind of... decent. More than that really. Tom found a strange feeling stirring from deep within his chest. Needless to say, the sensation unnerved the usually stoic boy. It didn't help that she seemed to be staring directly in his direction. Again.

Shaking his head, Tom glanced down onto his breakfast, a look of utter disgust crossing his features. It was the sickly grey gruel with unidentifiable lumps in it, given out every day. After the sweet taste of chocolate chip cookies, the gruel looked utterly repulsing. He flipped the bowl over and it splattered across the table.

"Oi!" "Watch it!" "What's wrong with you kid?"

The cacophony of outraged cries broke through the table. The hateful glares the younger kids fired at him were returned with equal if not greater force. The older kids ignored the mess - interaction with lesser individuals was beneath them.

With extraordinary elegance, Tom stood up and made his way back to his room, easily ignoring the commotion he'd caused. But as he returned back to the second floor, someone was already there.

"Mrs Cole," He said stiffly, crossing his arms over his chest, where hate for the old woman was already blossoming.

"Tom, I've come to tell you that someone will be coming to share this room with you. I expect you to be on your best behaviour-"

"Pardon me miss," Tom interrupted mocking politeness in his voice, "I must be mistaken but did you just say that 'someone's sharing a room with me'?"

Mrs Cole looked irritated – which made Tom bite down his triumph grin at having successfully provoked her - but she answered anyway, "Yes Tom. Your room is the only free one right now."

"I don't want a roommate-"

"This is not up for discussion." Mrs Cole said firmly, holding up a hand to signal silence. "I'll introduce you to her. Luna, this is Tom. Tom, this is Luna."

Even as his lower jaw clenched, he maintained an air of politeness. Didn't they learn from last time when Mrs Cole had moved Leon Hilton into his room? Not to mention that this was a girl they were talking about. A goddamned girl! The familiar blonde child emerged from behind the matron lady. Wasn't she downstairs just a minute ago...?

"Hello Tom Riddle." She muttered, her expression unreadable as she regarded him with unfocused pupils.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Luna," Tom drawled, a slight hint of sarcasm seeping into his tone, before they both performed the briefest of handshakes.

Mrs Cole watched the polite exchange with satisfaction. "Now, I expect you to treat Luna as an equal. I expect nothing more than for you to show uttermost respect and politeness to her. That means no name-calling, no fighting over things, being happy to share your..."

The old lady's voice droned on and Tom found himself resisting the urge to fidget. Impatience coloured his face as rules upon rules were laid down in front of him. There were better things to do than waste time listening to some cranky lady. Things like instruct and lead to his loyal serpentine servants.

The ten year old promised that the stupid's girl residence will not be permanent - she'll be fleeing from him within a day. Just like his former roomie.

After several elongated minutes, Tom was freed from Mrs Cole's lecture with the final instruction to lead Luna to his room. Grumbling silently to himself, he motioned her to follow him and strutted ahead without bothering to look behind him to check if she was tailing him. It had been three years since anyone besides him had entered this place. Grinding his teeth with irritation, he pondered over the misfortunate of having his lair invaded by a scrawny inferior before quickly reassuring himself that it would all be temporary.

"So Luna, this is my room." Judging from the way she was dressed last night, he assumed that she had originated from a poor household and would thus be intrigued by the apparent luxury of possessing more than one piece furniture. Upon witnessing her blank and bored expression, he sniffed haughtily and fixed her with an ice-cold glare. Now that he was out of the vicinity of Cole, Tom was able to treat his inferiors in whatever way he desired, provided that they wouldn't come running to the staff to tattletale. Rounding onto the girl and satisfied of the fact that he was taller, Tom proceeded to look down on her.

"Old Cole laid down a few rules for me," Tom scoffed, waving his hand dismissively in the air. "Now, I'll lay down a few rules for you."

When the girl didn't reply but continued to gaze unfocused into the wall behind him, Tom stepped closer to the girl and confirmed that he was breathing into her face. That ought to get her attention. Sure enough, her stormy eyes swung towards his jet black ones.

"First of all, you will not touch any of my stuff. Second of all, you will not disturb me. Thirdly, everything that happens here will stay here. That means you will not be running off to tell the staff about every little thing that I do…" Tom continued on in this manner as he ticked off all of his rules on his hand, each one clashing with the orphanage matron's.

"Now if you choose to break these rules, then..." Tom indulged himself with small cruel giggle, thinking of the ways he could punish her. ".I would personally see to it that you will wish that you had never stepped foot in here." Let her imagination come up with ways of punishment. Little girls always had the wildest imaginations.

Stepped away, he turned around to look at the window which allowed him to observe the orphanage's back garden and anything which occurred in there. His hands were clasped behind his back and Tom continued to share some private thoughts of torture which he would be sure to inflict on the girl. He loved the sound of screaming-

"Did you know you have Nargles in your hair?"

"What?" Tom whirled around to find his empty room, his door open and no dreamy girl. Did she walk out on him?! "How dare she!?" He muttered venomously.

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**N/a:**

**Please review.**


	3. Adjusting to life

**Adjusting to life**

**DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. I own nothing save this fanfiction's plot and some OC characters.**

**N/a:**Thank you for the nice reviews. I love them all and enjoyed reading them. Expect monthly updates - they will be sporadic.

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Meeting Voldemort as a ten year old was an enlightening experience. Within seconds of being in his presence, she could already feel the predatory air he radiated that would one day become murderous intent. However, unlike his future self, the boy's hair was home to many Nargles, which was a vast relief.

A childish yet mirthless laugh rang from her mouth as she skipped down the splintering staircase, the urgency to fulfil her mental list of errands surpassing the immature temptation to slide down the banister.

As Luna became surrounded by a mix of glum and cheerful orphans on her way out to the trampled field, she felt brief a pang of pity for the children. These children would never again experience the warmth and protection of a family – if they even had the access to in the first place. The thought of a future Dark Lord blossoming amongst an environment so lacking in love was not surprising in the least, in fact, it wouldn't come as a surprise to have multiple potential Dark Lords running around here, if the occupants too bore the gift of magic.

A blast of fresh air tainted by the yells and cries of playing children greeted her as she approached the veranda that connected to a grassy plain. The field, fifty yards in length and width, was bordered by a wooden fence so old that it was a wonder why it simply didn't collapse on itself. There was a playground to her far right, a sand pit to her left and a large rectangle drawn out in front of her, likely to be intended to be soccer field.

Luna tripped as she jumped off the porch, a painful reminder of the unfamiliarity of having a ten year old body but her expression did not waver. Sprinting directly to the fence, she found a hole, large enough for her to crawl through, and just like that, she had escaped the confines of the orphanage.

It never occurred to her that her misadventure had been witnessed by none other than her new roommate, situated at his vantage point in his bedroom.

Returning to the daunting iron gate, she held out her right hand and toppled over instantly as a exploding 'bang!' marked the arrival of the Knight Bus.

The door opened with a low creak and steam almost billowed out dramatically from within the vehicle, exposing the current bus conductor, a petite red haired lady who strode forward to meet Luna's fallen position.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. My name is Ezra Shunpike and I will be your conductor this morning." She droned in monotone.

Luna hastily got to her feet and stepped into the bus. "To the Leaky Cauldron."

"That'll be eleven sickles, ma'am." The lady said automatically, paused for a moment before leaning forward to inspect her latest customer. "Eh, missie, aren't you a little too young to be walking around in your own?"

"I'm... just lost." Squirming under the women's critical gaze, Luna shot the conductor a terrified look which prompted the woman to soften her features.

"Lost, eh? Well you're not the first one." Ezra said, shooing the girl onto the bus and adding in an undertone, "Never mind about payment – a girl like you ain't likely to have even a knut."

After a rickety ride that involved her discussing the dietary habits of Blibbering Humdinger to a confused but friendly man, a contented girl stumbled off the bus and pushed her way through the over-crowded Leaky Cauldron. She followed a family of wizards through the separating brick wall and entered Diagon Alley.

For the first time, it finally struck her as to how odd it was to see that everything was so out-dated. While the wizarding attire remained mostly the same, the mass of unfamiliar faces and the several unfamiliar shops almost threw her offbalance. An antique shop stood in the place of Quality Quidditch Supplies. In turn, a bright store called Superb Sports Supplies substituted Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Luna stole a glimpse into the interior, and was updated with the knowledge that the Cleansweep 4.5 was currently all the rage.

She felt like a foreigner. Not only was the place so visually different – it was the general atmosphere that hit her the hardest with the realisation that she really was in the past. Everyone was happy – so blissfully unconcerned about any prospect of war looming above their heads. After years of living in a Wizarding War where people were too terrified over the possibility of a Death Eater terrorist attack to ever wander out to the open, Luna felt so alienated from the lively atmosphere of the present that she had half a mind to stop and ask for directions.

Still, the unfamiliarity of Diagon Alley did not dampen her mood. Skipping happily towards the polished marble building of Gringotts, she came to an abrupt stop at the nearest back teller.

"I'd like a withdrawal from the Lovegood Family Vault."

As the goblin bent over its table to inspect Luna, she felt herself shiver for the second time under a harsh gaze.

"Minors are prohibited from withdrawals from Family Vaults." This all came out in a sneer which exposed all of the goblin's yellowing serrated teeth.

Anticipating the rejection, Luna stood up a straighter and announced firmly. "I'm older than I look. I'm willing take a Blood Test."

"Very well." He yawned.

A Blood Test was used to certify the identity of an individual. The test consisted of writing the person's full name onto an enchanted piece of parchment with a blood quill. Created through Goblin magic, the parchment is impossible to hoodwink. Should the name be false, it would burn itself.

Memories of her Sixth year at Hogwarts ruled under Snape's iron fist flooded her brain as she gripped a blood quill in her hand. Frowning but unaffected by the familiar pain, Luna wrote in a loopy scrawl:

_Luna Avis Lovegood_

As the words cut into her flesh, Luna looked up to the goblin quizzically.

"Not so fast, Miss Lovegood." It said and with a gnarled finger, pointed to parchment.

Underneath Luna's name, more words in the same shade as her blood, began to form on the page.

_DOB: 29 February, 1980_

_Age: 18_

_Blood status: Pureblood_

_Race: Human_

_Heir to House of Lovegood_

_Heir to Most Noble and Ancient House of Ravenclaw_

"You are a time traveller," The goblin stated mundanely, radiating an air that suggested it was everyday when he encountered one.

Jerking her head in affirmation, Luna opened her mouth to speak. "I trust you not to tell anyone of this-"

"-Client confidentiality is held at Gringotts."

"Is it possible for me to gain the keys to the vault?"

"Absolutely not. The Lovegood key still resides with Mister Spencer Lovegood whilst he lives. Only upon their deaths will you be granted possession of the keys."

"Oh..." Luna's heart did a little jump at the mention of her paternal grandfather. The mere thought of the rest of her ancestors being alive was enough to send her heart into a beating frenzy. It escalated into performing aerobatics upon hearing a name that she had not heard for eight years, the name of her mother. Her mother was _alive_.

"Will my transaction be recorded?"

"Yes."

A crease formed on Luna's forehead as she weighed her options. If any of the Lovegoods found out that their vault had been opened by a stranger, Luna was at risk of exposure – something she was wary of.

"Would they be able to gain the identity of who opened their vault? And even without my keys, can you take to the Lovegood Family Vault?"

"No and yes, since you have proven your accessibility."

Although she was unfazed by the goblin's rude attitude, she knew that there was some sort of goblin etiquette which she ought to follow, but for the life of her, couldn't remember.

"Anything else?"

"Yes. How do you say 'thank you' in Gobbledegook?"

His scratching quill stilled and a smirk that sent shivers down her spine found its way onto his face.

"No such word exists."

A bumpy cart ride later, Luna was whisked away to Vault 492, the Lovegood Vault, cradling her right hand which had begun acting up painfully from the after-effect of the blood quill. The cart halted with such suddenness that would have been impossible without magic. Feeling lightheaded, Luna staggered away from the offending vehicle to the simplistic doors of the vault. She was accompanied by a sneering goblin, who made no attempt to hide his amusement at his customer's discomfort. The goblin held a key with two clawed fingers and roughly inserted it into the keyhole. With a flash of blue light and a loud clang, the heavy door swung open, its hinges groaning from sudden use.

Luna felt extremely small and insignificant as she was confronted with the vault's contents. It was a little known fact that her great grandparents had invested in the stock market and over the course of his lifetime, gathered a small fortune. Not as big as perhaps the Potter fortune, but just enough for her to support herself for two or three years.

As Luna clambered into the vault, she was met with massive piles of golden Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts – some of which she scooped up and deposited in a small beaded handbag, charmed hold more items than it otherwise could, which she had found in the chamber. Amongst the money, there were piles of antique Lovegood heirlooms such as jewellery, weapons, artworks, books, and even chinaware. Nonetheless, these possessions were ignored by Luna, who only had eyes for a particular item sitting at the very back of the vault. A sapphire crusted velvet cushion was propped against the wall and in the centre, laid an ebony wand – the same wand she had used in her original timeline. Unlike ordinary students who bought their wand from Ollivanders, Luna had decided to use an ancestor's wand – swishy, eleven inches, with Thestral tail hair as its core - it had served her well in many occasions.

With her forefinger and thumb, she gingerly picked up the black wand and relished in the wave of warmth that swept over her. A flick of the wand presented a shower of silver sparks that danced around in the air. It wasn't until Luna was armed with her wand did she realise how vulnerable and naked she felt without it. _Not good,_ she thought.

Wandless magic was an exceedingly complex branch of magic, but Luna felt it was possible for a young time traveller such as herself.

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Although it was never obvious in her native timeline, Luna was a Ravenclaw at heart. She was intelligent enough to be aware of other's hostility to her and knew that no matter where she went, she would be perceived as an oddball, the primary reason being her unique ability to see creatures nobody else could. Not that she really cared of what others thought. Perhaps once, but not anymore. The war had left her empty, depleting her of conventional human emotions and reactions. So, like many times before, Luna tucked her ebony wand behind her ear, uncaring of that it was within visible sight. Any muggle would simply see it as an odd but simple wooden ornament.

Upon returning, she discovered that nobody had noticed her absence – not that that was much of a surprise in itself. But what Luna did notice, as she idly walked around the field, was that a small child was under the mercy of another. Years of undergoing torment of her Hogwarts peers, even before the war, had left Luna unsympathetic to victims of bullies, rather it was replaced with empathy.

The blonde sprinted hastily towards the furthest corner of the field, a section obscured by trees and bushes. What met her there caused the girl to stiffen and clench her fists in restrained anger.

"I told you never to touch my things." The words came out in a hiss dripping with venomous anger that sent chills down her spine.

"I-I'm sorry! It was just that Mary told me to - Don't hurt me! Please no!"

A terrified orphan no older than 5 was cowering against the wooden fences, her twiglike limbs held in front of her in a form of vain protection against the furious male that towered above her. Bruises, cuts and puncture marks were littered across her delicate skin and, to Luna's utter horror, a swarm of garter snakes lay wriggling at her feet, all their yellowing eyes trained on the terrified individual.

"You pathetic thieving wretch, do you think that I'd give a damn about Mary?" Even Luna, who was only a bystander, could feel the anger curling off Tom in waves as spoke. His tone was steady, but his rage was made obvious by his intimidating posture that appeared to tower over the little child, even with knowledge of the fact that he couldn't possibility be any higher than five feet.

When his hand rose and swung downward towards the whimpering girl's cheek, Luna found that she could not keep herself hidden and swiftly stepped forth to place a vicelike grip onto Tom's wrist before it came into contact with the child's face.

"_Stop_."

The furious girl mirrored every powerful and menacing aspect that Tom had just previously radiated. Any other child would not have been subdued by one word spoken so calmly, but Tom was intelligent beyond his years and adept enough to sense her concealed underlying aggression. A flash of surprise briefly washed over his resentful face.

Luna held his gaze for what must have been minutes, her own expression emotionless with her eyes being the only signs that betrayed her fury. Meanwhile, the child went by ignored, squirming in the vicinity of two equally formidable people, and under the mercy of serpents that had suddenly become unsure of themselves and their master.

Tom's eye twitched, briefly darting towards the wand at Luna's ear and back, before he spoke, "Get your filthy hand off me Lovegood. You have no business here."

When Luna made no intention to do so, the boy hissed and his horde of snakes instantly abandoned the young child to turn their focus onto the girl. They slithered towards Luna, whose heart had started racing, and wrapped themselves around her limbs, binding her ankles and rising to her arms to hang there like vines. All the while, she remained motionless, as if someone had placed the stunning spell onto her and her iron grasp did not waver, her grey eyes remained glued onto the boy.

Her lack of reaction must've provoked some degree of uncertainty within Tom because he shook his arm in a vain attempt to detach Luna's grip and repeated in a voice less confident, "Get your hand off me, or I'll tell them to bite you."

This time, Luna's pupils flickered downwards. When it become blatantly obvious that nobody was paying attention to the unknown victimised child and that the snakes' attention were no longer on her, the girl seized her chance and ran for her life, escaping back to the orphanage building.

"You shouldn't be hurting other people." Luna whispered in a coldness that surprised herself, ignoring the decrease in company.

"Romy asked for it." Tom responded swiftly. Without warning he made a hissing order that caused three snakes fling themselves forward and strike Luna's hand, the unexpected pain causing her grasp to loosen and thus free Tom's own.

Twin spots of blood was appeared on three pairs of fang puncture wounds and as Luna snatched her bleeding hand back, her surprise replaced her anger and her wide eyes suddenly bored into the person responsible for the attack.

Tom straightened up, smoothed down wrinkles, brushed away dirt, and fixed up his clothing. No longer an angry oppressor, he merely cast a cold glare of finality at Luna and without any further comment, briskly strode away. At his leave, all the obedient serpents dispersed except for one which remained behind to slither towards Tom and toss him some sort of bronze figurine which he caught easily and deposited into his pocket.

When he was out of her sight, Luna collapsed onto the flattened grass that was previous occupied by the child (Romy was it?) and pulled her knees towards her chest. Ignoring tiny streams of blood that tricked down her wrist, she buried her face into her small hands and sighed heavily, all her thoughts in a jumbled mess.

Not even past puberty and Tom Riddle was already displaying signs of sadism. How in the name of Merlin was she supposed to fix this? She doubted that even an Umgubular Slashkilter would have an inkling of an idea.

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**N/a:** Please review!


	4. Demons

**Demons **

**DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. I own nothing save this fanfiction's plot and some OC characters.**

**N/a: Thank you for your patience. I realised that I missed my schedule of posting monthly updates by, uh... three months? Please forgive me, I've been quite busy!**

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The next hour was spent aimlessly wandering around the orphanage, exploring the every nook and cranny of the miserable building. It seemed that for every minute Luna spent in there, detestation of the orphanage grew more profound: creaking floorboards, cracked windows, babies howling in nurseries that were as sanitary as a London alley... This faculty would give any muggle safety inspector a heart attack. But then again, no sane individual would willingly waste their precious donation money on a dingy building for dirty illiterate children, right? Orphanages were charity based and although Mrs. Cole seemed decent enough not to keep any expenses to herself, money would've been a sore topic.

But still…

Couldn't muggles see that how appalling the living conditions for their next generation was? Raised in a wizarding household, Luna was unfamiliar with how non-magical society generally functioned, but she mingled amongst them enough to understand that not all muggles would knowingly be this cruel to children. Did the non-magical community not care for their next generation? Or did they expect that orphans would be doomed in society anyway?

A heavy dejected sigh escaped her lips as Luna returned to the playground. She planted herself onto the swings and slowly rocked back and forth, her distracted gaze skimming around her immediate vicinity as her thoughts wandered to the current state of the muggle world – not that she would admit it, but she needed distraction from thinking about Tom Riddle.

Her musings were interrupted by rough shove from the back by a chunky pair of hands that sent her fragile body sprawling into the dirt. A shadow of a frown passed across her face as she twisted around to see a muscular teenager grinning down at her. Bearing a similar build to Goyle or Crabbe, Luna could tell from a single glance that this mesomorph was someone who was often avoided by potential victims. She stared at the brute with nothing more than a blasé expression. Playground bullying was nothing in comparison to the atrocities of the battlefield.

And for her whole life, Luna had been a victim to bullying. No, this was not a new experience. Still, it saddened her that she would be bullied again so soon after her arrival in this new timeline. Was it part of her fate?

At Luna's lack of reaction, the grin dropped from the boy's face and he lunged forward for a punch.

Combat reflexes kicked in as Luna rolled to her side, the clumsy fist as it flying past her ear that made her very conscious of the wand that was tucked there.

Her fingers twitched, the urge to fire a hex tingling upon her pale lips. What should the goon deserve? A Stinging Hex on his forehead for a third eye? She could pass it off as a bee sting. How about a Bruising Curse? That wouldn't be too suspicious –

Shocked out of her stupor of violence, she scrambled out of the path of another incoming punch. A heart beat later and Luna jumped to her feet, her wand was already in her hand when she yelled out the muggle dud spell, "_Abracadabra_!" The act was peculiar enough to cause the advancing boy to hesitate in his tracks, and seizing this opportunity, Luna hitched up her muddied dress and dashed away.

As she escaped, thoughts as quick as stampeding heliopaths raced through her mind. Interesting. The thought of magical retaliation to the threat of something as simple as muggle duelling had never crossed her mind before. The recent events of the war must have added something. Or had perhaps broken something inside of her.

Her aim to get _away_ from something and not _to_ a destination, caused her to run spontaneously along an old corridor.

And somehow she crashed right into Tom Riddle, who merely stumbled backwards before righting himself, the suave expression on his face never wavering the process.

"Watch where you're going. You never know what might be lingering around the corners." Came his voice as his icy eyes bored into her own.

"I didn't see you." Luna immediately said, at the same time attempting to come up with an excuse to leave.

His top lip curled into a sneer that seemed almost predatory. "Obviously." The dimly lit corridor had an ominous effect the boy's appearance, cloaking half of his face in shadows and only leaving the other visible.

If Tom expected an answer, he didn't get one. The boy shuffled his weight on his feet and spun around, striding purposefully across the hallway and leaving Luna to decide whether to follow or leave.

She would have gladly taken the opportunity to leave, had she not felt a wrackspurt whizz around the corner and float towards Tom.

Curiosity caused her to follow until Tom suddenly halted in his tracks. He was glaring intently at a heavily freckled teenage girl with Weasley red hair. She was occupied with a younger child and didn't notice their presence until Tom spoke up.

"Hello Mary." He drawled, crossing his arms across his chest as a scowl passed over his features.

Startled, the teenager shooed the child away and shot Tom a vicious glare.

"I know what you did to Romy, you filthy demon. Tell me, do you know what it's like for kids, who wouldn't lift a hand to protect themselves, get mercilessly beaten up?"

"Oh, I wouldn't know. I've never been like that." He said idly.

There was a pause.

Without warning Tom lashed out, seizing hold of the teenager's arm and squeezing it hard enough to cause bruising. Ignoring her exclamation of surprise mingled with anger, the boy drew close enough for his breath to go into Mary's face.

"And next time when you feel the urge to tell insufferable brats to go through my room, remember this." His grip tightened as the teenager tried to wrench her arm away, a nauseating similar way to how Luna had acted before.

Tom's back was turned towards her so Luna was not able to determine his expression but she was guess as she saw how quickly Mary's face had blanched.

"Demon-!"

"-Snoops make me mad. And I have problems _controlling my anger_." With those final words, Tom's free hand crackled with what could only be magic and he threw a red blot of light at the exposed flesh at Mary's collar bone. The teenager screamed as she pulled away, Tom's grip finally relenting. Continuing to scream at the top of her lungs, she ran back from where she had come, though not before Luna caught sight of the raw red scorch-like brand that had begun to swell on her skin.

"Demon! Demon!" Mary cried as she barrelled away from the magical duo, crashing into any unfortunate children who happened to stand in her path.

As she watched the girl's retreating figure, Luna frowned at turned towards Tom.

"You shouldn't have done that."

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Amongst an aerial sea of clouds saturated in hues of blue and red, golden rays of morning sunlight arced low, illuminating the ocean's rippling waves. A thousand tiny mirrors blinked harmoniously as the waves rose and fell in rhythm. After a night of hushed repose, the beach was preparing for a day full of noisy human intruders and hungry scavenging seagulls.

The orphanage had organised a field trip to the beach for the younger orphans.

A gentle zephyr tussled Luna's dirty blonde hair as she dashed from rock pool to rock pool, on the keen look out for Gulping Plimpies. The poor creatures belonged in the ocean but could sometimes be stranded on the land after a particularly forceful burst of sea spray. Being the nice person she was, Luna would be their saviour, grabbing their spherical bodies and tossing them out to reunite with the ocean. She used to do this a lot with her father when they went to the beach.

"Hey Luna!"

"Hmmm?"

She turned around to see Tom accompanied by a boy she knew vaguely called Dennis Bishop. Both males were waving at her, beckoning her to come to the shore.

She hesitated and then sighed. Thinking that it was about time she stopped avoiding the person she was supposed to convert to non-villainhood, Luna halted her search and skipped back to the boys.

"Dennis, this is Luna. Luna, meet Dennis."

"Hey Loony." The boy said distractedly before exclaiming quickly, "C'mon now, I want to see this!"

"See what?"

"Tom had been exploring and he found a super-cool cave. I think that it could be some pirate's secret base and have ancient lost treasure. Guess what? He's going to show us!"

Luna stared at the black haired boy as if he'd gone mental. Was Dennis daft enough to believe Tom, a boy with questionable morals?

"Luna, come with me."

Without waiting for an answer, Tom spun on his heel and strode away, leaving his acquaintances to decide whether or not to follow. Dennis was more than happy to start their quest and Luna trudged warily after.

They walked along the shore and towards a wave-cut platform, a narrow flat area at the base of a low cliff. It was a strip of rocky land that was sandwiched between a sheer cliff face and the sea.

It mustn't been more than ten minutes did the band grow thinner and thinner until they were forced to bunch into a tight group in order to fit and avoid the wading in the waves.

Only when the strip of land had disappeared completely and they were splashing in water did rationality finally decide to return to Dennis.

"Are you bloody mental?" He muttered, before steadily rising his voice to a shout. "You said there was a cave and you led me to out to who knows where. And you expect me to continue on and believe your stupid story of finding a pirate's lair? You're bloody mental! I'm going back!"

Both Luna and Tom stared at the muggle, the latter looking as suave as one possibly could standing thigh deep in cold sea water.

After a moment of deliberation, Tom enunciated slowly, "You're free to go back. But I wouldn't recommend it, seeing as Luna and I aren't coming with you. Good luck."

Luna wasn't sure if it was the biting cold that caused a shiver to trickle down her spine. Only ten and Tom was adept enough to twist his words so that he would appear to give Dennis a choice to go back, without doing so at all. No kid in their right mind would want to make a solo trek back to the beach, which now seemed to be miles away. The tide was rising and the boy would be constantly buffeted by wind and the growing waves. If Luna did not have the mentality of an adult, she would've been outright terrified by now.

Several heartbeats later and the trio resumed their journey, only with Dennis looking as solemn as ever and trepidation beginning to emerge on his face.

Feeling that she ought to do something, Luna fell a step back to take Dennis' sticky palm and squeeze it reassuringly. The boy didn't protest.

Then, not long afterwards, Tom stopped walking and he turned around, a grin spreading across his face. The reason became clear as he pointed towards a tall cliff in the distance, one that appeared to tower over fifty yards and stood at least a mile away from them. Her heart sank and Luna opened her mouth to question Tom's motives herself, internally berating herself for not doing so before.

However, she was interrupted.

"That's the cave we'll be going to."

"No."

"No?"

"We can't continue. How are we supposed to get there? Even if we could swim, the sea is a dangerous place and the waves are strong enough to pull us. For Merlin's sake, we could drown!" Dennis nodded vigorously as Luna spoke.

"We could drown." Tom mimicked with a condescending smile before reverting to his usual sneer. "But we won't."

With that final statement, Tom walked over and seized Dennis' and Luna's shoulders, the latter flinching away. A jolt of electricity travelled down from where Tom's hand was and Luna felt the familiar sensation of magic running through her. She jerked further from his grip and pulled her wand from her ear, ready to Stupefy Tom and stop whatever underage magic he was trying to create.

_Underage magic that could be controlled_. She was reminded of how powerful Voldemort was.

But then the sensation stopped and Tom was staring at Luna with a strange look on his face, his eyes darting towards her wand and back. She could see the question in his eyes.

"What are you..." Luna and Tom said at the same time, only with Luna continuing. "...intending to do?"

They stared at each other for several seconds, Luna aware that the tide was rising and _fast_. It seemed only a moment ago that the water level was at her knees and now it was slowly rising to her waist. The current was growing and threatening to throw them against the rock. More concerned over the muggle boy's safety then her own, Luna looked around for something to turn into a Portkey.

_His watch?_

She was already tearing the metal gadget off Dennis' wrist when Tom said, "I wanted to test if you were different."

"What?" Luna said, her stiff fingers having trouble with unfastening the muggle's watch as Dennis was resisting her.

"Oi Loony! Whacha think you doing with my watch? First Tom and now you? You're a bunch of freaks!"

"I've noticed that you two have been acting strangely. I thought… I thought that you may have been like me." Tom said, somehow his calm voice was louder than the muggle's shout.

"We're _not_. And I'll explain later Dennis." Luna said sternly and grasped her wand tighter, even though a firm grip would hinder her efforts in getting the damned watch off the boy.

"You thieving fiend! You're all bloody mental? Get your filthy hands off me!"

For a second she looked for another object to be a potential Portkey but a quick glance returned her to the watch. There were no rocks, no seaweed and Luna had nothing in her pockets.

"Then, tell me why you're holding that stick almost _like a wand_?" Tom said, motionless and unfazed.

When she didn't answer, Tom continued, now talking to more himself than to Luna.

"That Dennis brat seemed to be different. But now that I can see him acting like a wimp, perhaps not. He's an ordinary kid."

"Oi!"

"And you're not, Tom?" Luna said.

"Of course not! I can do special things... move things without touching them, hurt those who are mean to me, make animals do what I want them to do..."

"It's called magic. And you're not special."

"Do you think I'm lying? No, I didn't expect you to understand. You see... didn't you hear what Mary said? Demon. I'm a demon."

He said it as if it was not a bad thing.

At that point, Dennis shrieked and torn himself away from both Luna and Tom, his spark of fear flaring into a blaze of terror.

"Then I'm a demon too." Luna said offhandedly and let Dennis back away.

"Cole would hear nothing of it but some of the other adults tried calling an exorcist when she wasn't around–" Tom stopped himself, aware that he was giving away too much information. "Hang on, you said that you're a demon. What do you mean–"

"–We have to get out of here."

"Not a chance. Now tell me, what do you mean by the fact that you're a _demon_?"

Something brushed against Luna's leg. Fish. Tom was controlling the fish. They were nipping at her skin and ramming their bodies against her thighs. Is this some sort of underage Imperius meant to intimidate her?

Their conversation had caused Dennis' face to blanch.

Thinking quickly, Luna tapped her wand against the muggle's watch. "_Portus._"

No soon did the word left her lips did Dennis disappear in a flash. He would be transported by the Portkey back to the beach, where Ms Cole was bound to notice their absence by now.

Tom and Luna were now alone.

Upon witnessing her first act of magic, Tom regarded Luna with amazement before it was quickly erased from his face to leave a mask of indifference.

"So I'm not the only one."

"No."

"What did you do to the mortal boy? Is he dead?" The second question was spoken in a softer tone, as if Tom was hoping that the answer would be an affirmative.

Luna vehemently shook her head.

"What happened to him? What else can you do? Are you limited only by your wand?"

"_Stupefy_."

With a great splash, Tom's body fell backwards into the water, shock etched onto his face.

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**N/a: Please tell me if I have any mistakes and please review! :)**


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